Toy guns which shoot or launch projectiles have been very popular for many years. These guns have been designed to launch projectiles in a number of ways. A common method of launching has been by the compression of a spring which propels the projectile upon its decompression or release, as, for example, with BB guns and dart guns. These guns however usually do not generate enough force to launch projectiles with great velocity.
Toy guns have also been designed which use compressed air to launch projectiles such as foam darts or balls. These types of guns use a reciprocating air pump to pressurize air within a pressure tank. In use, a single dart is loaded and the pump is typically reciprocated several times with each firing of the gun. Therefore, the gun must be loaded and pumped with each firing as it is not capable of firing several darts in rapid sequence. The rapid firing of a gun may be desired for those playing a mock war or other type of competition.
Today children who play mock wars often carry several guns at one time in order to fire several shots simultaneously or in rapid succession or carry a gun which is capable to firing several shots. Guns which may fire several shots in rapid succession typically include a magazine which holds the projectiles. However, the transfer of the projectiles from the magazine to the breach of the gun has been difficult to accomplish, especially wherein the projectiles are made of a soft, pliable material. The difficulty with the transfer of soft projectiles and the like has been the inherent tendency to deform under force rather than being guided by a force. As such, the projectiles often become stuck within the transfer mechanism or within the breach itself.
Accordingly, it is seen that a need remains for a toy air gun which may be fire a succession of projectiles from a magazine without the projectiles becoming lodged during the transfer between the magazine and the breach mechanism. It is to the provision of such therefore that the present invention is primarily directed.